Packaging apparatus and method



Dec. 1, 1936.

C. W. VOGT PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHQD Original Filed Feb. 2a, 1933 INVENTOR Clarezae W'Vo i .ATTORNEYS Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PACKAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD Original application February 23, 1933, Serial No.

Divided and this application January 15, 1935, Serial No. 1,872

10 Claims.

My present invention relates to a method and apparatus for forming or completing the formation of a shipping package such for instance as the package disclosed in my Patent No. 2,001,478,

5 issued May 14, 1935.

Such a package includes a foldable cardboard blank having a base portion upon which layers of articles such as individual service portions of ice cream are stacked. Side wall members conl nected to the edges of the center of the blank are then folded upwardly and about the stack to a position where lateral movement of the individual units in the various layers is restrained by the side Walls and then while the walls are in this 15 position the package is completed by applying sealing strips to unite the abutting edges of the side walls. A cover applied prior to or after the folding of the side walls is preferably also locked in place by the sealing strips which re- 20 strain the side walls against movement with respect to each other or the cover.

My Patent No. 2,018,750, issued October 29, 1935, of which the present application is a division shows one suitable form of apparatus for 25 depositing a stack of layers of individual service portions of ice cream upon the center or base of a carton forming blank, the side walls of which are to be folded upwardly around the stack but insofar as the invention herein claimed is con- 30 cerned, any suitable apparatus or hand methods may be employed to stack the units on the 45 The movement of the folding guides is preferably spring cushioned so that the individual articlesstacked on the blank center will not be mashed or mutilated but gently centered by the folding guides as they approach carton clamping 50 position and so that the final package may vary slightly in size.

The apparatus is of extremely simple, rugged, durable, inexpensive, fool-proof construction and serves not only to greatly facilitate the folding of 55 the cartons and completion of the packages but to promote uniformity in the packages which are the final product of the method.

The invention may be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an apparatus embodying the invention and showing a completed package therein,

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view throughthe apparatus and the package taken approximately on the line 22 of Fig. 1, Y

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing one of the carton blanks with the layers of articles stacked thereon being lifted preparatory to placing it in the folding and clamping apparatus and 35 Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a completed package. a

The apparatus in the specific form illustrated includes a table I0 which may, if desired, have a carton centering means which as illustrated is a depression ll of the proper size and shape to fit the bottom forming center portion 12 of a cartonblank. Lugs, flanges or the like may be used as such centering means or the centering means may be omitted. The centering means is of regular polygonal shape and at opposite sides of the table, and at diametrically opposite corners of the polygon, the table is cut away, as indicated at l3, to facilitate removal of the completed package and to permit the application of sealing strips while the carton is clamped, as will more fully hereinafter appear.

A pair of relatively movable folding guides and clamps are provided and in the construction herein illustrated one is stationary and the other movable. The folding clamp I4 is fixedly mounted upon the table at one side of the hexagonal recess I l and comprises a rigid upstanding bracket member, the inner face of which follows the contour of the polygonal recess II and the ends of which terminate at the cut-outs l3.

Complementing the stationary folding guide is a movable folding guide l5, slidable upon the table and movable into a position where it approximately registers with the side of the recess H opposite to the side which is encircled by the fixed clamp or guide l4. The height of the complementary guides or clamps l4 and I5 is preferably less than the height of the completed container.

The means provided for effecting sliding movement of the movable folding guide and clamp II along the table In is preferably a yielding manually controlled mechanism, that herein illustrated 55 being merely typical of oneclampactuatingmeans which has proven commercially practical.

The clamp I! is provided with a pair of parallel pendant extensions l 3, which extend downwardly through a pair of parallel slots I! in the table.

- The lower ends of these extensions l5 aflord integral sleeves i8 sliding on rods I9, mounted under the table directly below the slots II. The ends of these rods may be fixed in brackets 20 pendant from and integral with the casting, which constitutes the table ill.

The rods and sleeves constitute means for guiding the rectilinear movement of the movable clamp 15 over the surface of the table. The abutment of the sleeves l8 and brackets 20 may serve to prevent the movable clamp from being shifted to a position where it overhangs the depression ii, to any considerable extent, although there may be some overhang particularly if the contents of the package be somewhat below normal or average size.

The manually operable, yielding, self-locking means for moving the slidable clamp member into and out of position preferably includes a two-part link having its sections resiliently pressed apart. This link has a pivotal connection 26 with an arm 25 on a rock shaft 2| and a pivotal connection 28 with the clamp member IS.

The rock shaft 2i is journaled in a bearing bracket 22 on the table i0 and upon one end is a crank 23, having an operating handle 24 and upon the opposite end is the crank arm 25. The crank arm 25 and extensible link co-operatively afford a toggle joint for locking the movable clamp element in clamping position.

In the specific form of'extensible link illustrated one end portion 30 is journaled on the pivot pin 28 mounted between parallel strengthening webs 29 cast integral with clamp element l5 and has rigid therewith and screwed thereinto a bolt or pin 3| held by a lock nut 32. By loosening the lock nut the bolt may be screwed in or out to vary the effective length of this element of the link. The other section of the link is shown as a hollow member pivoted on the cross pin 26 and receiving the head 33 of the bolt 3|. The bolt shank may be guided by a cap 35 which closes the end of the member 34.

A coil expansion spring 31 reacts against the bottom of the socket and the head 33 of the pin 3| and nornially tends to fully extend the composite link. The tension of this spring may be varied by adjusting lock nut 32.

As the crank 23 is swung in a clockwise direction from the position of Fig. 1, it will act through the crank arm 25 and link to slidably withdraw the movable bracket l5 from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Upon a reverse movement of the crank 23 to move the clamp l5 back to the position of Figs. 1 and 2, a toggle effect is had between the crank arm 25 and the link 21. In other words, the pivot 26 moves to a point slightly below the common plane of the rock shaft 2| and the pivot 28.

In Fig. 3, I have shown a carton blank having a plurality of stacked superimposed layers of peripherally wrapped individual service portions 38 of ice cream stacked upon the center or bottom of the carton blank and separated by interleaves 39. The sides of the blank are folded to positions adjacent to the stack and a polygonal carton top 40 may be placed upon the top of the stack. The stack is transferred to the package-forming or finishing mechanism of Figs. 1 and 2 by the operator grasping the two opposite side wall-forming extensions ll of the blank, as illustrated in Fig. 3 and depositing the partially folded carton with the material stacked thereon in the recess or other centering means II of the table in or directly on the table adjacent to the clamp l4, if there be no centering means.

In the form illustrated the blank has two opposite side wall-forming sections 40 connected at their lower edge to the carton center I2 and each, side wall-forming section is provided with score lines 42, so that if the wall-forming sections are grasped and folded upwardly they will tend to break along the score lines 42 so that each wallforming section provides three panels corresponding to three sides of the hexagonal carton to be formed. If there be a centering means, the depositing of the partially completed package of Fig. 3 in the centering means Ii, while the clamp I5 is withdrawn, will cause the fixed folding guide or clamp H to automatically complete the folding of one-half of the carton.

As the movable clamp is shifted to clamping position, folding of the other side walls of the carton is completed and the exposed free edges of each wall-forming section are brought into abutment or other juxtaposition with the corresponding edges of the opposite section.

The extensible yielding link applies a yielding force which prevents crushing of the individual service portions of ice cream in the package and at the same time makes the wall snugly conform to the stack even if the latter varies slightly in size due to-minor variations in the diameter of the individual service portions. It may occur that in lifting the open carton with the stack of material thereon onto the table, some of the individual service portions will become slightly misaligned or will project over that portion of the table traversed by the movable clamp. By virtue of the use of the spring 31 the action of the movable clamp is sufiiciently non-positive so that these slightly misplaced articles will be gently moved back into proper position as the stack is embraced by the movable clamp and there is no danger of crushing the articles.

The action of the movable clamp may bring the edges of the carton walls together or may leave them slightly spaced, depending on the size of packaged material.

With the parts in this position, flaps 43 at the upper edges of the side wall sections may be turned inwardly, either over or under the cover member 40 and strips of adhesive material 44 are then applied along the exposed lines of abutment of the wall sections. Preferably, the lower ends of these strips are adhesively secured underneath the bottom of the carton, the strips completely sealing and concealing the line of abutment of the two wall sections, and the ends of the strips overlap the cover 40 and the fiaps 43.

The cut-out portion I3 of the table permits the ends of the adhesive strips to be secured to the carton bottom, while the carton is in'the clamp mechanism and the corresponding space between adjacent edges of the two clamp elements affords sufllcient clearance to permit application of these pasters over the abutting free edges of the carton-forming walls.

Since the clamps are of less height than the carton, clearance is also provided to permit the 'application of a paster 45 over the top of the carton and the folding of the ends of this paster down against the opposite side wall-forming sections ll of the carton. Paster 45 traverses the carton top at right angles to and preferably between the ends of the pasters 44, which overlap the top. With the carton thus completed, clamp 15 is withdrawn and the package is removed from the clamp ready for shipment.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

l. A packaging mechanism for forming packages polygonal in cross-section and having more than four sides, said mechanism including a table to support the lower end of a partially folded carton blank having upwardly folding sides each having side flanges, and means for completing the folding of the sides about the contents of the carton including relatively movable folding and clamp members, each including a body portion for engaging said sides and edge portions at an angle to said body portions for engaging said side flanges, said members being relatively shiftable on the table toward and away from each otherto complete the folding of the carton.

-2. A packaging mechanism for forming packages polygonal in cross-section and having more than four sides, said mechanism including a table to support the lower end of a partially folded carton blank having upwardly folding sides each having side flanges, and means for completing the folding of the sides about the contents of the carton including relatively movable folding and clamp members, each including a body portion for engag ng said sides and edge portions at an angle to said body portions for eng in said side flanges, said members being relatively shiftable on the table toward and away from each other'to complete the folding of the carton and yielding means for effecting said relative movement.

3. A packaging mechanism for forming packages polygonal in cross-section and having more than four sides, said mechanism including a table means to center the bottom of the lower end of a partially folded carton blank having upwardly folding sides each having side flanges, and means for completing the folding of the sides about the contents of the carton including folding and clamp members, each including a body portion for engaging said sides and edge portions at an angle to said body portions for engaging said side flanges, said members being shiftable toward each other to complete the folding of the carton, said members when in carton clamping position being spaced apart sufficiently to expose the opposed lines of the carton sides,

whereby the carton may be sealed along such lines while in the clamp.

4. A packaging mechanism including a packaging table having a recess therein, a stationary clamp and folding guide extending upwardly from the table at one side of the recess, and a movable clamp and folding guide shiftable along the table into a position at the other side of the recess opposite the first clamp and folding guide.

5. A packaging mechanism for forming packages polygonal in cross-section and havii 5 more than four sides, said mechanism including a table to support and center the bottom of the lower end of a partially folded carton blank having upwardly folding sides each having side flanges, and means for completing the folding of the sides about the contents of the carton including a stationary folding and clamp member and a movable folding and clamp member shiftable toward the stationary member to complete the folding of the carton, said members each including a body portion for enga ing said sides and edge portions at an angle to said body por-' tions to engage said side flanges and being spaced apart suificiently to expose the lines of abutment of the carton sides, whereby sealing strips may be applied along such lines of abutment while the carton is in the clamp.

6. A packaging mechanism for forming packages polygonal in cross-section and having more than four sides, said mechanism including a table having a recess to support and center the bottom of the lower end of a partially folded carton blank having upwardly folding sides, and

means for completingjhe folding of the sides about the contents of the carton including a stationary folding and clamp member and a movable folding and clamp member shiftable toward the stationary member to complete the folding of the carton, said members being spaced apart sufficiently to expose the lines of abutment of the carton sides, whereby sealing strips may be applied along such lines of abutment while the carton is in the clamp, said recessed table being cut away at" opposite sides .to permit folding the ends of said sealing strips under the bottom of the blank.

7. A packaging mechanism including a table to support and center the bottom of the lower end of a partially filled carton blank having upwardly folding sides, and means for completing the folding of the sides about the contents of the carton including a stationary folding and .clamp member and a movable folding and clamp pose the lines of abutment of the carton sides,

whereby sealing strips may be applied along such lines of abutment while the carton is in the clamp, said recessed table being cut away at opposite sides to permit folding the ends of said sealing strips under the bottom of the blank, the clamp means being of less height than the completely folded carton, whereby to permit another sealing strip to be pasted transversely across the top of the carton and folded down over the sides thereof. 8. A packaging mechanism including a packaging table, means for centering a carton bottom thereon, a stationary clamp and folding guide rising from the table, a complementary movable clamp and folding guide shiftable along the table into a position opposite the first clamp and folding guide, means to guide the movement of the movable folding guide including rods disposed under the table and means pendant from the folding guide extending through slots in the table and engaged with said guide rods.

9. A packaging mechanism including a packaging table, a stationary clamp and folding guide rising from the table, a coacting movable clamp and folding guide shiftable along the table into a position opposite the first clamp and folding guide, means for actuating the movable clamping guide including a yieldingly extensible link pivthe pivotal connection between the link and clamp.

10. The method of packaging a plurality 01 layers of cylindrical articles with the articles in each layer in upright position, and with interleaves between successive layers, which method includes the steps of placing a stack of said layers upon the bottom of a carton blank, said bottom being polygonal with more than four sides,

and having a plurality of lateral extensions each with side flanges, folding said extensions upwardly to form side walls, folding said flanges to form additional side walls, and applying sealing strips to connect the side flanges or each extension to the side flanges of an adjacent extension along lines registering with comers of said bottom.

CLARENCE W. VOGT. 

